Valve-stem guide for locomotives.



F. J. COLE & W. E. WOODARD.

VALVE STEM GUIDE FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY3, 1912.

1 ,036, 800, a Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 50.,WASHINGTON. D. c.

Tn STATES PATENT FRANCIS J. COLE AND WILLIAM- E. WOODARD, OFSCHENECTADY, NEW YORK.

VALVE-STEM GUIDE FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

Application filed May 3, 1912. Serial No. 694,821.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCIS J. COLE and WVILLIAM E. WVOODARD, both ofSchenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, havejointly invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Valve-StemGuides for Locomotives, of which improvement the following is aspecification.

The object of our invention is to provide means for guiding the valvestems of locomotive engines fitted with VValschaert or analogous outsidevalve gear, which shall be of simple and inexpensive construction andeasy application and repair, and shall be specially adapted forapplication in locomotive engines having steam distribution valves ofthe slide type.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan or top view of alocomotive engine steam chest, illustrating an application of ourinvention; Fig. 2, a side view of the same; Fig. 8, averticallongitudinal central section through the same and a portion ofthe cylinder; Fig. l, a transverse section, on the line a a of Fig. 3;and, Fig. 5, an end view of the guide, as seen from the left.

In the ordinary constructions of locomoe tive valve stem guides, theyare supported by being bolted at one end to a bracket attached to thecylinder casting, and at the other by being attached to the guide yoke.

This construction is unsatisfactory, in the particulars of requlrmgcareful almement of the guide bar with the valve stem, and of thepresence of ofisets in the guide bar, which are frequently necessary toaccommodate the adjacent parts. Further, any change in the position ofthe steam chest, when the latter is a castingseparate from the cylinder,will change the alinement of small height used with slide valves, byreason of the insufficient space afforded on the ends of steam chests ofsuch. character for the insertionof the supporting head.

In the practice of our invention, an open bottomed integral extension, 2is cast centrally on the rear side of the steam chest, said extensionprojecting rearwardly from the valve stem stufling box, 2, and beingformed of segmental form in transverse section, and inclined or taperedinwardly from the steam chest to its rear face. The exten sion, 2 is ofsuflicient lengthto admit of the ready insertion and removal of astufling box gland through the opening in its bottom, and a transversehead, 2 having an opening, 52, for the passage of the valve stem, 3,extends across its rear end. As indicated by the upper shoulder seen inFig. 3, the rear sideof the head, 2", is faced by being turned off undersaid shoulder, to insure registration with the guide support, 1,hereinafter described, at the same time that the steam chest stuffingbox. 2, is bored out, and concentrically therewith. A guide support, 1,which is also of segmental trans verse section and is provided with aflat head, 1 at its front end, in which there is formed an opening, 1*,for the passage of the valve stem, is secured to the valve chestextension, 2*, by bolts, 1 passing through the head, 1", and through thecorresponding head, 2 of the extension, 2 against which it is fittedtruly, and nuts, 1 The guide support is inclined upwardly from the steamchest extension to its rear end, at and adjacent to which it isflattened on its lower side, for the attachment of guide bars hereinafter described.

The forward end of the valve stem, 3, is connected, inthe usual manner,to the distribution valve, 3, and a cross head, 7, of T formintransverse section, is secured upon the rear end of the valve stem. Acombination lever, 4:, the upper end of which is recessed or bifurcated,is coupled by a pin, 45, to the downwardly depending central member ofthe cross head, 7, and a radius bar,

'6, extending to an ordinary Walschaert link or a similarly operatingmember, is coupled to the combination lever below the connection thereofto the cross head. The lower end of the combination lever, 4, is coupledin the usual manner, to a combination link (not shown) which is, inturn, coupled to the piston rod cross head.

The valve stem cross head, 7, is fitted to reciprocate in guides fixedto the lower side of the guide support, 1, at and adjacent to its rearend, said guides comprising a pair of lateral guide bars, 8 a pair oflower guide bars, 8, and a pair of upper guide bars, 8, these membersbeing all independently detachable and being secured to the support, 1,by bolts, 9, and nuts, 9 Wear and lost motion between the cross head andguides may be taken up, as from time to time become necessary ordesirable, by detachable liners, 8 interposed between the upper and.lateral guide bars, difierent thickvalve stem cross head fitting betweensaid nesses of which liners may be used, as the conditions of wear mayrequire.

It will be seen that under the construct-ion above described, theguiding members are firmly connected to the steam chest, and thealinement in proper relation of the guide and valve stem is accuratelymaintained by the concentric finish of the head, 2", and the valve cheststufling box. The valve stem guide can be readily erected or detachedwithout the loss of time involved in the careful shimming or lining uprequired with the ordinary construction. 'IheT section form; of thecross head enables the combination? lever and its connections to besupportedj properly and without interference with other members of theappliance.

We claim asour invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a guide mechanism for the valve stem of a locomotive outside valvegear, the

combination of a steam chest having a stufi' ing box and an integralextension on its rear side, a gulde support abutting agalnst and securedto the rear of the steam chest extension, concentrically with thestulfing box, guide bars fixed to said support, and a cross head fittingbetween said guide bars and adapted for end connection to a valve stem.

2. In a guide mechanism for the valve stem of a locomotive out-sidevalve gear, the combination of a'steam chest having a stufiing box andan integral extension on its rear side, a guide support abutting againstand secured to the rear of the steam chest extension, concentricallywith the stufiing box, guide bars fixed to said support and a guide barsand having a downwardlydepending central member for the attachment of acombination lever;

3. In a guide mechanism for the valve stem of a locomotive outsidevalve, the combination of a steam chest having a stufiing box and anopen bottomed integral extension therefrom on itsrear side, said extension being provided with an end head which is perforated for the passageof a valve stem, a guide support of segmental section having a headsimilar to that of the steam chest extension and connected det-achablythereto, concentrically with the stufling box, guide barsfixed. to saidsupport at and adjacent to its rear end, and a cross head fittingbetween saicl guide bars and adapted for end connectionto a valve stem.

FRANCIS J. COLE. WILLIAM E. WOODARD. lVitnesses:

RoBERr F. HALL, FRED C. CLARKE. V

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

